At the stroke of midnight July 15, London Underground Ltd will transfer from the control of the Government and Secretary of State for Transport to Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL).
Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London said:
“I am delighted London Underground is finally transferring to the control of London’s democratically elected government. The Tube, the backbone of the capital’s transport system, will now be directly accountable to the city it serves.
“Major improvements cannot be delivered overnight and the privatisation of Tube maintenance under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) imposed by the Government will make the management and improvement of the system more difficult.
“But I have brought the best transport managers in the world to London and am confident that Bob Kiley and Tim O’Toole will deliver the best possible service for London.”
From midnight, the new Tube management team, led by London Underground Managing Director, Tim O’Toole will take up their posts and begin the task of managing the PPP contracts and improving the Tube.
Tim O’Toole said:
“Major improvements to Tube service will not be delivered overnight. But my first priority is to ensure a safe, reliable and clean Tube service.
“The Tube has been starved of investment for many years, but staff have done a remarkable job moving three million people around London every day in very difficult circumstances.
“I’m looking forward to working with such a dedicated workforce.”
The PPP contracts now demand strong management to deliver Tube improvements to the timescale already agreed between the Government and the PPP Infracos, Metronet and Tube Lines.
London’s Transport Commissioner, Bob Kiley said:
“I maintain that the Government imposed PPP is not the right way to manage the maintenance and renewal of the Tube. As they stand, the contracts do not satisfactorily address the improvements to the Underground that TfL, Londoners and Tube users demand.
“Nevertheless, I am determined to ensure that we do everything in our power to hold Metronet and Tube Lines to account on the improvements they have promised to deliver.”
Focus on: London’s Tube (PDF - 2.2Mb) - a document setting out the new management’s priorities for London Underground
